Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Foose, John Andrew June 25 2004 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K Taylor bluewolf@onemain.com June 29, 2004, 6:11 pm The Bakersfield Californian John Andrew Foose Services: Thurs., July 1, 10 a.m. Funeral services for John Andrew Foose, 91, will be held on Thursday, July 1, at 10:00 a.m., in the Mish Funeral Home Chapel. Veterans Burial Honors will follow at Union Cemetery. One of ten children, John was born in Morehead, Kansas, on June 14, 1913, and passed away in Bakersfield on June 25th after a short illness. He graduated from Morehead High School in 1932 and moved to Bakersfield shortly thereafter. He met Anita Curnow, a native of Bakersfield and they were married in Pacific Grove, California on September 12, 1940. John served in the U.S. Army in Arizona and then settled in Oildale, near Anitas parents and started a family. John worked at various jobs as an auto mechanic and in metal works throughout his life but his fondest working period was the last few years before his retirement when he worked at Foothill High School as a custodian and was able to interact with students, which he so enjoyed. Away from work, he was known as a craftsman and electronics repairman. He built cabinetry and desks for family and friends and could always be found in the garage repairing anything mechanical or electrical. He could take anything apart and find some way to fix it and he taught himself to repair televisions and radios for family and friends. He also spent hours fixing appliances, radios and toys for residents at the Porterville Developmental Center, where he and Anita performed volunteer work and acted as foster parents for a number of residents for more than 33 years. It was always a joy for John and Anita when they visited Porterville and were greeted by the adopted residents for whom they brought toys, clothing and assorted other goodies. They were often accompanied by their Valerie and her two children, Katie and Michael. John and Anita were also known for their devotion to running and spent many years officiating at Bakersfield College track meets when their son, Barry, ran there and would travel to meets in Los Angeles to support the teams over the years. They also helped at Bakersfield Track Club events for many years and John would occasionally participate in races despite a bad hip, while Anita filled the house with trophies for winning her age division on a regular basis until she eased back at age 86. Anita, John, Barry, his wife, Ann and their son, Thomas would occasionally compete together in races at the same event. John will always be remembered for his willingness to help others throughout his life and was most saddened in the last few years by not having the physical means to continue in this selfless role. John was preceded in death by his daughter, Valerie Norris and is survived by his wife, Anita; son and daughter-in-law, Barry and Ann Foose, and their son, Thomas; son-in-law, David Norris and his children, Michael and Katie; and a sister, Martha Lentz. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday, at Mish Funeral Home. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Johns memory to the Bakersfield College Track and Field Foundation, c/o Bob Covey, Mens Track Coach, 1801 Panorama Dr., Bakersfield, CA 93305 or the Porterville Developmental Center, P.O. Box 2000, Porterville, CA 93258-2000. Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/gob413foose.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb